Prague, Part 2: Vyšehradský hřbitov (Vyšehrad cemetery)

Next to the imposing Basilica of St. Peter and Paul in Vyšehrad lies the compact, pretty Vyšehrad hřbitov (Vyšehrad Cemetery). Open from roughly 9-5, it´s a must-visit for anyone in the area due to both its lovely tombstones, and the fact that a number of notable Czechs are buried there.

Vyšehrad cemetery

An interesting factoid about this cemetery is that it contains many authors, composers, businesspeople, and artists from the elite ranks of Czech society, but virtually no politicians, which may say something about how Czechs view their leaders!

Being as it´s full of artists, it is little surprise then that many of the tombstones are unusual and artistic:

Leaning grave marker

Tombstone

Hands

The center of the cemetery is nicely tended, with just the right amount of overgrown’ness.

Grassy graves

Along the perimeter are much fancier monuments, many featuring very attractive mosaic or fresco pieces on the walls and ceilings. As is the case in much of Prague, the influence of the Art Nouveau movement can be felt here, with many figures exemplifying the style, one of my favorites.

I did not see very many birds here, but a pretty Jay (LIFER!) allowed me to get a few photographs. Although named a Jay, this European one is in a different genus than any of our North American Jays.

Among the famous names interred here are Alfons Mucha (wiki page, official site), whose inscription on the Slavin Monument gives no hint of the wonderful Art Nouveau decorative style he helped to popularize,

Well, plenty of that here too – Arlington, the various DC monuments, etc. I’ve certainly seen more interesting cemeteries in Europe than the US, though, but that goes for architecture generally as well.